1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to a brake control device for a vehicle that automatically applies a braking force to the vehicle when it is determined that there is a possibility that the vehicle will collide with an object (obstacle) in front of the vehicle.
2. Description of Related Art
A brake control device is known that detects an object (obstacle) in front of a vehicle and, when it is determined that there is a possibility that the vehicle will collide with the detected object, automatically applies a braking force to the vehicle. One of the brake control devices according to a related art, which automatically applies such an automatic brake, checks the accelerator pedal operation amount (accelerator position) of a vehicle and, when the accelerator pedal operation amount becomes equal to or larger than a predetermined value while the automatic brake is applied, determines that the driver has an intention to release the automatic braking and releases (stops) the automatic braking (for example, see Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2005-82041 (JP 2005-82041 A) and Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2015-36270 (JP 2015-36270 A)).
By the way, the system (Brake Override System: BOS) has been employed on a vehicle that, when both the accelerator pedal working as an accelerator operation unit of the vehicle and the brake pedal working as a brake operation unit of the vehicle are operated at the same time, reduces the driving force of the vehicle with priority on the braking force of the vehicle.
If mounted on a vehicle that employs such a BOS, the brake control device described above releases the automatic braking when the accelerator pedal operation amount becomes equal to or larger than the predetermined value during the automatic braking even if the brake pedal is operated at that time. However, “the state in which both the accelerator pedal and the brake pedal are operated at the same time” does not necessarily means that the driver has an intention to release the automatic braking even when the accelerator pedal operation amount becomes equal to or larger than the predetermined value. In addition, the automatic braking is applied when a relatively large force is required to apply the brake to the vehicle. Therefore, if the automatic braking is simply released, a preferable vehicle traveling assistance may not be provided.